Top Items:
Brian Chesky / The Airbnb Blog:
Our Commitment to Trust & Safety — Last month, the home of a San Francisco host named EJ was tragically vandalized by a guest. The damage was so bad that her life was turned upside down. When we learned of this our hearts sank. We felt paralyzed, and over the last four weeks, we have really screwed things up.
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Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Airbnb Offers Unconditional Apology, And $50,000 Insurance Guarantee — It's never too late to fix bad press with a straightforward, unconditional apology. That's what the world got from Airbnb today. It was the first time that the company addressed the robbery/ransacking issue on its blog …
Discussion:
Gawker, @bupbin, Digital Trends and @gaberivera
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
iCloud pricing per year: $20 for 10GB, $40 for 20GB, $100 for 50GB — As a part of today's iCloud.com launch for developers, Apple has revealed the price points for extra iCloud storage for end users. As you can see in the screenshot above, iCloud will come with 5GB of free storage …
Discussion:
BGR, The Loop, Between the Lines Blog, GigaOM, AllThingsD, Gizmodo, CNET News, everythingiCafe, MacStories, SlashGear and The Next Web
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Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
iCloud.com opens up for developers, features iPad-like Mail, Contacts, Calendar, iWork apps — Apple has just opened up the iCloud.com web interface for developers. The website is in beta and features all new web apps for Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and more.
Discussion:
AppleInsider, MacRumors, Ars Technica, CNET News, The Register, CNET News, TechCrunch, This is my next, App Advice, ReadWriteWeb, GottaBeMobile, TUAW, Electronista, @chpwn and The Next Web, Thanks:jakeosmith
Andy Greenberg / The Firewall:
Meet Comex, The 19-Year-Old iPhone Uber-Hacker Who Keeps Outsmarting Apple — Nicholas Allegra, better known by the hacker handle Comex. — A version of this story will appear in the upcoming issue of Forbes, published later this week. — Nicholas Allegra lives with his parents in Chappaqua, New York.
Discussion:
Engadget, App Advice, DailyTech, MacRumors, Redmond Pie, MacStories, MacPost, Pulse2 and Betabeat, Thanks:forbestech
The Dealmap:
Deal of the Day: Google Buys The Dealmap — We're thrilled to announce that The Dealmap has been acquired by Google. — Since launching The Dealmap in May 2010, our team has worked to build a great product where people can find and share all the best local deals, all in one place.
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Jolie O'Dell / VentureBeat:
Google acquires Dealmap, the missing link between Offers & Maps
Discussion:
Local Onliner, ProgrammableWeb and 9to5Google
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Apple TV Adds Support for Cloud-Based Storage of Purchased TV Shows — Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV release notes page yet, but I just ran software update on my Apple TV 2 and got a new update that adds support for a major new feature: purchased TV shows.
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, paidContent, AllThingsD, TidBITS, 9to5Mac, Shiny Objects, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, MacStories, PC World, Engadget, Redmond Pie, I4U News, MacRumors, OS X Daily, everythingiCafe, Techie Buzz, Mashable!, eHomeUpgrade, Pulse2 and Gizmodo
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Darrell Etherington / GigaOM:
Apple TV update introduces show streaming, Vimeo support
Discussion:
AppleInsider, Ars Technica, Macworld, CNET News, PC Magazine, TechCrunch, The Next Web, O'Grady's PowerPage, Electronista and TUAW
John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
Apple Launching New iPhone in October, Not September — So those rumors claiming the iPhone 5 will debut in late September? They're wrong. — Instead, it's going to be an October surprise — the month in which Apple plans to launch its next-gen iPhone.
Bloomberg:
Apple Suit Puts Samsung Tablet Sales in Australia on Hold — Apple Inc. escalated a patent dispute against Samsung Electronics Co. and won an agreement that the South Korean company won't sell the newest version of its tablet computer in Australia until a lawsuit is resolved.
Discussion:
PC World, Electronista, BGR, GottaBeMobile, TechCrunch, Engadget, FOSS Patents, The Next Web, @fosspatents, L.A. Times Tech Blog, The Register, AppleInsider, MacStories, VentureBeat, Techie Buzz, Liliputing, Digital Trends, Mashable!, Appolicious Advisor, Android Community, Android Phone Fans, Ars Technica, TechEye, Gadget Lab, 9to5Mac, PadGadget, Digitizor, TechSpot, The Business Insider, GMSV and Delimiter
Erik Larson / Bloomberg:
HTC Sues Apple in U.K. Following Loss in U.S. ITC Patent Case — HTC Corp. (2498), the Taiwanese smartphone maker locked in a patent battle with competitor Apple Inc., sued the iPhone maker in Britain. — The complaint, filed July 29 in London, comes two weeks after HTC lost a ruling …
Discussion:
Hillicon Valley, mocoNews, AllThingsD, TechCrunch, PC Magazine, Between the Lines Blog, CNET News, SlashGear, FOSS Patents, Edible Apple, Electronista, MacDailyNews and MacDailyNews
Tom Warren / WinRumors:
Microsoft and Nokia to hold special Windows Phone event on August 17 — Microsoft and Nokia are holding a joint party later this month. — The party will be held at the GamesCom trade fair in Cologne, Germany. Both companies sent an invite to a joint party on Monday that will be held on August 17.
Discussion:
The Microsoft Blog, LiveSide.net, the::unwired, Seattle Times, IntoMobile, Neowin.net, GottaBeMobile, The Next Web, SlashGear and WMPoweruser
Kashmir Hill / The Not-So Private Parts:
How Facial Recognition Technology Can Be Used To Get Your Social Security Number — What does your face give away? — Those freaked out by facial recognition technology have fresh fodder: a study from Carnegie Mellon University in which researchers were able to predict people's social security numbers …
Discussion:
Engadget, msnbc.com, 9to5Google and Wall Street Journal
Jerry Neumann / Reaction Wheel:
Pace of VC investing by subsector — I couldn't sleep last night so I figured I'd see if I could confirm a nagging suspicion about the early-stage VCs I know. About six months ago it seemed like they were slowing down their pace of investing while the corporates and newer super-angels were doing a lot more deals.
Discussion:
@dougw
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Mozilla Designer's Mockups Give A Glimpse At The Future Of Firefox — Firefox may be getting a very nice facelift soon. — Mozilla designer Stephen Horlander has posted a set of screenshots showing off what may be the the future of Firefox's interface, and it includes some major changes that give it a more modern look.
Discussion:
ExtremeTech and MacStories
Dan Frommer / SplatF:
Logitech: Actually, people aren't returning those Google TV gadgets in droves — Logitech made it sound last week like consumers were rushing to return its Google TV gadget, the Logitech Revue. But that's not the case, according to a Logitech rep that I just got off the phone with.
Chris Kanaracus / PC World:
Judge: Email in Oracle-Google Case Will Remain Public — The judge overseeing the lawsuit Oracle filed over the Android mobile OS has denied Google's attempt to get a potentially damaging e-mail redacted. — “What we've actually been asked to do by Larry and Sergey is to investigate …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Courthouse News Service
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Halo Effect: All AngelPad Companies Will Get $100K Investment Offers From 2 VC Firms — Earlier this year, Yuri Milner, SV Angel, and Y Combinator shook the early-stage investment world with Start Fund, a $150,000 investment offered to every startup in every new Y Combinator class, no questions asked.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, @naval and VatorNews
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Autodesk Acquires DIY Community Instructables — In its third acquisition this year, Autodesk, maker of design, engineering and entertainment software, has acquired San Francisco-based Instructables, a popular online community where people can upload, discuss, rate and collaborate on a wide variety of do-it-yourself projects.
Discussion:
Instructables Blog, Autodesk, alarm:clock, MAKE and silicontap.com
Edmund Lee / AdAge:
Foursquare to Users: Nice Check-in, Now Please Write Something — Mobile-Sharing Startup Wants Its Users to Share More Tips in Stealth Content Initiative — Mobile startup Foursquare wants its users to go beyond checking in and vying for virtual badges — it wants its 10 million users to do more writing.
Discussion:
About Foursquare, The Next Web, We Are Social, Marketing Pilgrim, SocialTimes.com and WebProNews
Susan Decker / Bloomberg:
NTP Wins Court Ruling on 7 Patents From Apple, AT&T Cases — NTP Inc., the patent licenser that extracted a $612.5 million settlement from Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM) in a dispute over wireless e-mail technology five years ago, won an appeals court ruling in a battle over the validity …
Discussion:
mocoNews and IntoMobile
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Why Watch TV at Home When You Have a Perfectly Good iPhone to Squint At? — Yet more evidence that “mobile” is relative when it comes to smartphones, iPads, and online video. Here's another study that says lots of people are watching stuff on their gadgets when they're just a few feet from their own TVs.
Garett Sloane / New York Post:
Foursquare sets revenue plan — Foursquare is looking to cash in on all those check-ins. — The social network, which has been known for having a fast-growing footprint — more than 10 million members have checked in more than 750 million times to about 15 million venues worldwide …
Discussion:
Adweek, GigaOM and NYConvergence.com
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Square Now Processing $4 Million In Mobile Payments Per Day — Flush with $100 million in new funding, Square is continuing to grow like a weed in the mobile payments space. After passing the $3 million mark at the end of May, Square is now processing $4 million in mobile payments daily …
Discussion:
CNET News, MediaPost, AllThingsD, The Huffington Post, Between the Lines Blog, AppScout, IntoMobile and Mobile Marketing Watch
Nicola Leske / Reuters:
Android conquers almost 50 percent of smartphone market — (Reuters) - Google's Android platform has taken almost 50 percent of the global smartphone market, dominating in the Asia-Pacific region, research firm Canalys said on Monday — Android, which Google acquired in 2005 and launched …
Discussion:
Canalys Newsroom, MediaFile, MediaPost, Techie Buzz, AndroidGuys, 9to5Google, WMPoweruser, The Next Web, Android Phone Fans, The Next Web and The Business Insider
Mike Elgan / Cult of Mac:
Why Google is a Better Apple Friend than Enemy — A casual observer might be forgiven for thinking that to Apple, Google is Enemy #1. Apple's most profitable (and therefore important) businesses center on the iPhone and iPad. The most serious competitors in both these product categories run on Google's Android platform.
